Improvement in iron truss-bridges



E. HEMBERLE.

Iron Truss Bridges.

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WITNESSES @7M I IBY MV1/ 2@ ATTURNEYS.

. to the arc, as shown in Fig. 1.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ICDVARI) IIEMBERLE, OF CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN IRON TRUSS-BRIDGES.

Specification formingrpart of Letters Patent No. 152,/1S9, datid June30, 1874; application filed March 28, 1874.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD HEMBERLE, ofChicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Iron Bridges, of which the following is aspeciiication Figure l is an elevation of my improved iron bridge-truss.Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the top chord-connection. Fig. 3 isa cross-section ot top ehord-coimeetion. Fig. 4 is a plan of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The invention consists, rst, of a peculiar construction of the ends ofiron bridgetrusses 5 second, of a peculiarly-constructed topchord-connection, as will be fully described hereinafter.

A represents the top chord of a bridgetruss, made of I-shaped rolledbeams, jointed together at the ends and straight in the middle of thetruss, from a point, L, Fig. l, one and a half panel lengths from theend of the truss; from L to the end the chord is bent in a circular arcdown to the shoe at N. The are is held in shape by two or more tie-rods,T, entering at the bottom chord-pin M, to distribute and transmit theload from point M The top chord A is spliced and connected over the pinF in the following manner, viz: A wrought-iron plate, B, Figs. 2 and 3,bent in double-angle forni to fit the web of the beams, is bolted on theends of the two beams, so that its flanges project downward to receivepin F, for connection of the tie-rods H and struts G of the truss. Thisplate is bolted to the under side of chords A by two short bolts, makinga temporary connection to the top chord. On top of the chords, at thejoint ofthe sections, there is a cast block, C, fitting into the troughof the I-beam, as shown by Figs. 2, 3, and 4, which is bolted down, bytwo bolts, E, passing through the block C, to the web of the beam A, andthe wroughtiron connecting-piece B. The block C has lugs O cast on thetop, in which the top lateral ties K are secured.

The advantages ot' my improved truss over others known and in use are,first, saving in the amount of material required to build the trussesand top lateral bracing of a bridge, particularly in the bracing` oftheends by the tie-rods T, by which a rigid truss is produced with fewermembers, and the erection is facilitated by the more simple form. Thetic-rods T, being adjustable by nuts at the upper end, admit oftransferring and adjusting the load equally over the arched ends of thetop chord,

' and keep it thereby in proper shape. Second, the construction ofthetop chord-sections is so simple that it requires no skilled labor tomake the connection of the top chord and erect the truss.

Havingthus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Paten t l. The arch shaped ends of the top chords of ironbridgetrusses, stiffened and held in shape by several tie-rods centeringon the first joint of the bottom chord-sections, as shown and set forth.

2. The combination, with .the top chord I-shaped beams, of thedouble-angle plate B and top plate C, secured together by bolts, asshown and described.

8. The combination of the horizontal braces I, tie-rods H, studs J, andpin F with the chord A, plate C, angleplate B, and bolts D E, as shownand described.

EDWARD HEMBERLE.

Iitnesses WM. C. TAYLOR, LUKE D. PHILLIPS.

